ORANGEBURG, N.Y. (January 2, 2015) – The Franklin Pierce University Ravens Men's Basketball team showed how deep their bench really is on Saturday afternoon. Playing all players listed on their roster, the non-starters contributed 46 points led by junior Matt Banton (Brooklyn, N.Y.) who knocked down a team-high 20 points on 6-for-10 shooting, including hitting four three-pointers along the way in the Ravens rout of Felician College by a score of 81-63 at the 10^th Annual James Clancy Memorial Tournament held at Dominican College.

With the win, the Ravens climb back to the positive side of .500 at 6-5 overall, while Felician falls to 5-6 on the season.

Things started slow for both sides, as points didn't go up on the scoreboard until two minutes in as sophomore Mike McDevitt (Cumberland, Maine) knocked down a layup for the first score of the ballgame. Jamal Reid would respond on the other side of the floor for Felician, tying things up at 2-2. That would be the closest Felician would come, as the Ravens would lead the rest of the game and pull away in the process.

Maintaining a strong lead throughout the first half, the Ravens were able to climb their lead to 12, their biggest lead of the half with the use of a 7-0 run that was highlighted by a dunk from junior Donte Gittens (Hartford, Conn.) and a three-pointer from Tyler Iacuone (Mahopac, N.Y.). That would set the score at 32-20 with 4:12 to play in the first half. Franklin Pierce would head in to the locker room at the half up by 10 after Gittens hit a jumper with only seven seconds to play.

The second half saw the Ravens really let their bench shine, as despite who was on the court the lead would only continue to grow as the time ticked off the clock.

However, Felician would cut the lead to six two minutes into the second half after Reid hit a jumper to put the score at 40-34. That's when the Ravens would take off, as Banton scored five points in helping Franklin Pierce to spinning off yet another 7-0 run in the next 1:10 to extend their lead to 13 points.

Sophomore Lolami Charles (Edgewood, Md.) backed up the play of Banton as he collected seven of his 12 points on the day in the second half, including hitting a free throw with 1:32 to play in the game to give Franklin Pierce their biggest lead of the day at 21 points, 77-56. The Ravens would close the door and finish the job, taking the victory by 18 taking the 81-63 win.

Gittens also found his groove from the floor, finishing his day with 12 points, also dishing out a team-high six assists and collecting two steals. Iacuone finished second in points recording 13 points but grabbing a team-high eight rebounds.

For Felician, Reid topped the charts with 24 points, while Jeyvi Miavivululu and Kennedy Chukwuocha were the only others in double-figures with 11 and 10 points, respectively. Miavivululu and Chukwuocha also grabbed a team-high seven rebounds apiece.

The tale of the tape came on the boards, as Franklin Pierce out-rebounded Felician 43 to 28, and converted on second chance opportunities, getting 17 points off second-chances.

The Ravens return to the hardwood again tomorrow, Sunday, January 3 when they finish up the Clancy Memorial Tournament with a matchup against Dominican. Tip-off is scheduled for 4 p.m.

For more information on Franklin Pierce Athletics, please visit the official website of Franklin Pierce Athletics (http://athletics.franklinpierce.edu). Also be sure to follow the Ravens through the Department of Athletics' official Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/FranklinPierceRavens), its YouTube channel (http://www.youtube.com/franklinpiercesports) and its Twitter feed (http://twitter.com/FPUathletics). Fans wishing to purchase Franklin Pierce basketball apparel can do so at the Department of Athletics' online store (http://athletics.franklinpierce.edu/store).